Stories by Shelby Hawkins

Women’s suffragist, investigative journalist and civil rights leader Ida B. Wells is now immortalized as part of the U.S. Mint’s American Women Quarters Program.

The movie is about Harith Augustus, a 37-year-old barber who was shot and killed by police in South Shore in July 2018. The shooting sparked immediate public outcry and legal fights for full access to police body camera video.

The measure failed after nearly all members of the City Council’s Black Caucus voted against it because of concerns that the change would mean more fees and fines levied against Black, Latino and low-income residents.

 A recently discovered asteroid, named 2024 YR4, is now the riskiest asteroid ever detected. NASA has calculated that the space rock has a 3.1% chance of hitting Earth in 2032.

The Trump administration is falsely claiming that tens of millions of dead people over 100 years old are receiving Social Security payments.

Researchers at Boston University’s CTE Center found that Hull had stage 2 CTE when he died in 2023. He was 84. Hull struggled with short-term memory loss and impaired judgment over his final decade. He chose to donate his brain after seeing former teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Stan Mikita decline late in his life.

Stylist Jonathan Van Ness has been the guide to glamour through nine seasons of the Netflix series “Queer Eye.” Van Ness is one of the Fab Five — a quintet of advisors who use humor and empathy as they apply their skill sets toward improving someone else’s life.

“Reliably providing safe drinking water is one of the most basic and important government functions,” Inspector General Deborah Witzburg said. “Providing clear and readily available information in which people have reason to be confident is another.”

“It is research that is essential, it is research that is nonpartisan, it is research that improves lives and improves communities,” said Aaron Krall, president of the UIC United Faculty union. “This is deadly serious, these are life-and-death matters.”

The Chicago City Council unanimously agreed Wednesday to pay $27 million to the family of a Chicago woman killed by a driver being chased by Chicago police, the latest massive settlement prompted by a police pursuit that violated department policy and ended with a bystander’s death.

WTTW News producer Josh Terry presents must-see live music shows from indie rock to jazz, country, hip-hop and more.

A push to create a Department of Government Efficiency in Illinois. And Gov. J.B. Pritzker prepares to unveil his budget plan.

Chicago residents struggling with mental health issues often encounter barriers to accessing traditional care like therapists or medication.

More than 200 people rallied in downtown Chicago on Tuesday to push back on President Donald Trump’s sweeping efforts to cut government spending and reduce the size of the federal workforce.

The bill comes after the Illinois Supreme Court issued a pair of rulings last year. The court ruled in September that the smell of burnt cannabis did not give police probable cause to search a vehicle, but three months later ruled the smell of raw cannabis was probable cause for a search.

The Education Department gave an ultimatum to stop using “racial preferences” as a factor in admissions, financial aid, hiring or other areas. Schools are being given 14 days to end any practice that treats students or workers differently because of their race.

The $880 billion Medicaid program is financed mostly by federal taxpayers, who pick up as much as 80% of the tab in some states. And states, too, have said they’re having trouble financing years of growth and sicker patients who enrolled in Medicaid.

Cydney Wallace, who serves on the board of directors for the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, has been named as the 21st member of the new school board.

Meet outreach workers trying to keep their communities safe. And a push to expand Chicago’s violence prevention efforts hits an inflection point.

Peacekeepers across the city play an important role in interrupting and preventing violent crime in neighborhoods. These leaders are strategizing and organizing in their communities every day to improve safety and make a difference.

Some officials are pushing for policies to address root causes of violence and help offenders repair their relationships with their communities.

As the federal workforce is undergoing layoffs, buyouts and changing policies, WTTW News is looking to hear directly from those impacted. If you have a story to share, or you just want to pass along your contact information, we are eager to hear from you.

“At a time of such political division, Americans need to find common ground,” said Dr. Scott Oakes, who studies the role of cells in diseases at the University of Chicago. “We should all agree that medical research is one of those areas where we can all come together.”

Reports of wild bird deaths continue to mount, and not just in Illinois. Meanwhile, a vaccine for chickens could be on the horizon.

“He has stuck a middle finger in the face of the American people,” U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood (14th District) said, “and it’s unacceptable.”

The firings appeared to focus on employees in the agency’s centers for food, medical devices and tobacco products — which includes oversight of electronic cigarettes. It was not clear whether FDA employees who review drugs were exempted.